Bottle stopper and fastener



H. W. PUTNAM.L Bottle Stopperran'd Fastener. No. 224,304. P 'afe'nfed Feb. 1o, 1880.,

Lw my METERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER,'WASHINGTON. D C.

w y v e UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. u

HENRY w. PUTNAM, or BENNINGTON, v-EEMoNT.

BoTTLE STOPPR AND FASTENVEB..

" SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 224,304, dated FebruarylO, 1880.

` Application led December 29, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LHENRY W. PUTNAM, of Bennington, in the county of Bennington and State of Vermont, have invented a new and Improved Bottle-Stopper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in bottle-Stoppers which are adapted to be driven into bottles by means ofV the usual bottlingcentered when pressed down by the plunger,`

and thereby driven squarely into the bottle.

It consists, secondly, in a locking pin or bar which is held in slots in theshauk of the stopper by the pressure of the rubber stopper, and which is bent so as to project up alongside of the conoidal notched cap, and thus furnishes a lock for holding the bail in connection with the cap ;but at the same time it is adapted to yield sufficiently to allowl the stopper to be readily connected with and disconnected from the bail.

The inventionV consists, thirdly, in the peculiar construction of the metal shank of the stopper to adapt it to receive the locking-pin; and, lastly, the invention consists of a plunger provided with a conical socket in its lower end, to adapt it to bear with precision onthe apex of the conoidal cap of the stopper and to center the stopper while forcing it into' the bottle.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents, in vertical section, the filling-tube of the bottling-machine, the neck of f a bot,- tle, my improved stopper, and. the plunger for forcing the stopper into the bottle-mouth, all arranged to illustrate the position of the several devices when the stopper is about to be forced into the mouth of the bottle. Fig. 2 is asimilar view of the parts after the stopper has been forced into the mouth of the bottle,

showing also the manner in which the bail is about to connect it with the stopper. Fig'. 3 represents the locking-pin in side view. Fig. 4 is a central section of the metal shank and cap of the stopper, and Fig. 4i a horizontal section of same. Y Fig. 5 represents a side View of a bottle provided with my improved stopper held in place by the bail.

Referring to the drawings, A l epresents .the bottle. B represents the filling-tube of the `bottling-machine, which is provided with an4 extension, B,'for driving the stopper into the` bottle inthe usual manner. `C is the yoke or bail, connected directly or` indirectly to the neck ofthe bottle. The yoke or bail C serves `to hold the stopper D in its place in'theimouth of the bottle, and permits thesame, also, to

be ,swung aside when it is desired to unstop the bottle.

The stopper D is made of a core of metal `and of a rubber covering.V The ruhberva is stretched around the metal core or shank b,'

which metal shank has a bottom flange, d, and a top flange, e, which projects over and bears against the topof the rubber covering a. A conoidal cap, f, projects np from one side of' the top flange, e, so that the apex of the said conoidal cap is in line with the vertical axis of the core or shank b and stopper D. In the side of cap f opposite its connection with the top'iiange, e, isa horizontal notch, g. In the `lianges d o, on the opposite side from the connection of the cap j' with the flangee, are notches h t', respectively, extending to the core or shank b, which shank is preferably slightly flattened on the side which is in line with said notches, and in the under side ofthe core bis a gutter, j, which` extends nearly across the bottomof said core in line with the notches l1, t'. Theend k of the notch h in the top iiange, e, may be inclined .toward the center of the shank band cap f.

E is the locking-pin, made of metal and having a right-angular bendZ, and Vtwo obtuseangled bends, m n. This locking-pin is applied to the metal shank b by placing its upright straight portion inthe notches h until it bears against the flattened portion of the shankb, while the bottom right-angular portion, Z,'rests in the gutter j, and the upper portions project over the top flange, e, until the outwardly-bent portion a bears `against the cap f across the notch g, as clearly shown in IOO Figs. 1 and 5. The enwrapping rubber a of shank b, holds the locking-pin E securely in place on the said shank, and also holds the part a against the cap j', as in Fig. l; but by the elasticity of the rubber covering a the locking-pin can be drawn off the cap f, so as to permit the notch g to be opened for the insertion and relnoval of the bail when the stopper is to be attached to or detached from the bail. In other words, the rubber a serves as a spring, which holds the part a ot the locking-pin against the cap f, so as to lock the bail in the notch g, but which yields when the bail is to be inserted in or withdrawn from the said notch.

It will be observed that when the lockingpin is held in position on the capf a Vshaped notch is formed between the part a of the locking-pin and the adjacent side of the cap f. This notch facilitates the insertion of the bail and the forcing back of the pin, so as to allow the bail to enter the notch g.

F is the plunger for forcing the stopper through the tube B into the mouth of the bottle. In its lower end is a tapering socket, o, centered to the axis of the plunger and the tube B. This tapering socket receives the conical cap f.

The mode of forcing the stopper into the bottle and fastening it is as follows: The lilling-tube B is placed over the mouth ofthe bottle A, and stopper D is inserted in the extension-tube B', where it is exactly in line with the mouth of the bottle, as shown in Fig. 1. The plunger, after the bottle has been illed, is forced down in the tube B until its socket 0 receives the conical cap f, andthe plunger then descends and forces the stopper into the mouth of the bottle in the' manner shown in Fig. 2. As the center of the socket o in the plunger coincides with the apex of the conical capf, and the apex of cap fis in lille with the center or axis of the stopper D, it follows that when the plunger is forcing the stopper down into the mouth of the bottle the line of pressure coincides with the vertical axis of the stopper, and if the stopper should not be exactly upright iu the tube B', as soon as the sides ofthe socketo come in contact with the conical sides of the cap f the pressure will canse the cap to center with the socket 0, and the result will be that the stopper will be straightened in the tube B, and when forced down it will enter the mouth of the bottle squarely. As soon as the stopper is forced into the bottle the filling-tube is raised in the usual manner, and the plunger continues to bear on the stopper. The bail C is now swung up over the top of the bottle and inserted in the V-shaped notch between the part n of the lockng-pin and the adjacent side of the cap f. The bail is now pressed down in the said V- shaped notch, whereby thelocking-pin is forced slightly out and the bail slips into the notch g, whereupon the locking-pin is forced by the pressure of the rubber against the cap f, and thereby locks the bail in the notch g. The bail C is now, by a suitable lever, H, caused to press upon the stopper and hold it fast in the bottle in the usual manner, or by any other suitable device.

In Fig. 5 is shown a bottle closed by my improved stopper. It will be observed that the bail crosses the top of the stopper so as to press it down at or near its center, and the locking-pin bears against the cap f and closes the notch g, so that it is impossible for the bail to slip out of the notch spontaneously. The stopper, however, can be easily and quickly detached from the bail by first releasing the stopper from the pressure of the bail, then withdrawing it from the mouth of the bottle, and then pulling the stopper so that the bail will slip out of notch g, and thus release the stopper from the bail.

The stopper can be used with bail and lever in the usual manner, and need not be de tached from the bail, unless it is desired to ll the bottle in the manner stated.

I claim- 1. The stopper D, having a shank, b, conoidal cap f, and notch g, substantially as set forth and described.

2. The stopper D, composed of the metal shank b, having conoidal cap fand notch g, and of the locking-piu E and rubber covering a., the pin E being held between the rubber and the shank b, substantially as described.

3. The shank b, provided with the conoidal cap f, notch g, flanges e d, with notches 1L i, and gutter j, for the reception of the locking-pin E, in the manner substantially as described.

4. The locking pin E, constructed with right-angular bend l and obtuse-angled bends m n, and arranged to t in the notches ht' and groove j of the shank I), and inclose the notch g, substantially as described.

5. In a bottle-stopper, the rubber covering a, in combination with the metal shank b and locking-pin E, the locking-pin being held between said shank b and said rubber, substantially as described.

6. In combination with the stopper D, having conical cap f, the plunger F, provided with the tapering socket o, as and for the purpose described.

7. The shank b, grooved at the side for the reception of pin E, in combination with the cap f, forming notch g, and with rubber covering a, substantially as herein shown and described.

S. The bail G, attached to the bottle, in combination with the stopper D, having conical cap f,notchg, and side pin,E, substantially as herein shown and described.

HENRY W. PUTNAM.

Witnesses:

ToMrsoN B. Mosman, WILLY G. E. ScHULTz.

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